A known image forming apparatus such as a laser printer employs an endless belt for the purpose of carrying a sheet of paper, performing an intermediate transfer and the like. The aforementioned belt is detachably installed as a unit in the device for maintenance, replacement and the like.
It is preferable to form the aforementioned belt unit as compact as possible for performing efficient and easy maintenance. If the belt unit as a whole is enlarged, there may be difficulties in attachment or detachment of the unit with respect to the device, and the attachment/detachment mechanism (for example, slide mechanism) has to be enlarged accordingly. A mere simplification of the belt unit structure, however, may cause difficulties in finding the portion to be gripped other than the belt. The possibility to cause the operator to come into contact with the belt becomes substantially high, which is likely to give the damage to the belt.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an image forming apparatus that allows easy attachment or detachment of a belt unit as well as excellent maintenance performance.